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Testing completed at Paralympic alpine skiing sport event in Whistler

March 2009

Whistler Creekside closes out final Paralympic event of the 2008/09 winter season

WHISTLER, BC - Just two days after the One-Year Countdown celebrations to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) completed its operational testing today at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) alpine skiing sport event. The event also marks the final Paralympic sport event for VANOC, and the last event at Whistler Creekside - official competition venue for alpine skiing in 2010.

 

Hundreds of Sea to Sky corridor residents and visitors experienced the world's best Para-alpine ski racers, while VANOC staff tested field of play and Games-time operations, in addition to training potential Games-time volunteers.

 

"Spectators got a taste of the amazing athletic abilities of these Paralympic athletes, while our workforce earned critical Paralympic-calibre work experience," said Dick Vollet, VANOC's vice president, mountain operations. "This event provided a perfect environment for alpine volunteers to test their potential Games-time roles and systems."

 

The event marked the final Paralympic World Cup downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G and super combined races of the season with 130 competing athletes from 19 countries. It was also the first time the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games alpine course - Franz's Run - has been tested for Paralympic competition; it received rave reviews from both athletes and officials.

 

"The snow and the tracks were set perfectly and the course crew has been working really hard to make it really nice and smooth and running well," said American alpine skier Laurie Stephens, who placed first in Friday's ladies' giant slalom - sitting skiing category. "I love the hill and can't wait to come back next year and race again."

 

Testing at Whistler Creekside focused primarily on field of play and overall venue operations.

 

Field of Play

Grooming and technical standards of preparation for the Paralympic alpine competition course were tested during the event. The event also allowed race officials to test the process around stop/start protocols including valid and false starts and yellow flags, all of which operated effectively.

 

"The work done on the course has been great and the organizers have prepared the courses very well," said Evelio Gonzalez, IPC Technical Delegate and vice president of the Spanish Winter Sports Federation. "I've seen a lot of World Cup races and on the course the work done here has been perfect."

 

The course crews in charge of course maintenance were positioned along 13 sections of the course and included a dye crew, responsible for marking the snow on the field of play; a high-speed slip crew who side slip snow from the course to maintain optimum course conditions; and equipment runners who deliver poles, shovels and other equipment to crews working on the course. 

 

Leading up to the competition, a special on-hill race operations crew installedhanging safety nets that protect athletes in the event of a high-speed crash. The netting system includes large ‘A' nets hung from high cables and anchored to the snow with a row of ‘B' safety nets installed along the course, which provide additional safety where particular hazards exist. During the event, officials determined the need for an additional net on the course and the operations crew responded quickly, finishing the work well before the anticipated completion time. 

 

Athlete services were tested by facilitating the on-hill transportation for athletes on the Creekside Gondola with extremely positive reviews from team officials and athletes. Rollboards were used to ensure the efficient movement of athletes, and minor adjustments were made to the athlete load-in area, including increasing the number of volunteers required.

 

Venue Operations

The venue provided full accessibility for spectators and athletes, with drop-off and loading locations less than 100 metres from the athletes' compound and the spectator-accessible viewing platform. Members of VANOC's venue team worked to address issues around the transport of Paralympic athletes to ensure availability of an adequate number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

 

Snow Management

Varying weather conditions provided a great test of the snow management team's on-site maintenance to ensure all spectators, workforce and athlete passageways were clear, de-iced, salted and/or sanded, with improvements to steep and slippery areas.

 

Timing and Scoring

The timing and results team successfully tested their systems, integrating results with the race teams, officials and media. The team, including overseas staff from Omega, tested their operations at a Games-time level for precision and speed, with full redundancy to ensure backup systems are in place. Some of the printed reports, including start lists and results, will be consolidated to use less paper at Games-time.

 

Workforce

A workforce of approximately 525 (of which 75 per cent are volunteers) took part in the event, with over half of the volunteers being alpine sport volunteers working on the field of play. Medical, transportation, event services and technology teams made up the remainder of volunteer positions. Volunteers from across the country joined the event team to deliver a world-class service, complimented with hands-on training.

 

For more information on the Paralympic World Cups, please visit: www.paralympic.org.

 

Vancouver 2010 Sport Events

The 2009 IPC Alpine World Cup Finals is one of the last four sport events of the 2008/09 winter season, all four of which are being held this weekend. Since February 2008, VANOC has conducted operational testing at 17 sport events, with 16 taking place from October 2008 through March 2009. The final sport event, the Hockey Canada Cup - Women's Hockey, will be held at UBC Thunderbird Arena and Canada Hockey Place from August 31 to September 6, 2009.

Sport events (international competitions, such as World Cups or World Championships) have provided VANOC the opportunity to test Games-time operations and train potential Games-time volunteers. The sport events have brought the 2010 Winter Games sport venues to life, offering Canadians a chance to enjoy the sport disciplines that will be showcased at the 2010 Winter Games. The events have familiarized sports fans with the world's best winter sport athletes likely compete in 2010 and given media, officials and athletes a chance to experience their Games-time environment.


Over the course of the 17 events, the 2010 Winter Games host region has welcomed over 2,400 athletes from more than 30 countries, with an average of 120 accredited media covering each event (domestic and international) and a total estimated on-site spectator attendance of approximately 60,000.